2023 | Exploring Interstate Licensure Compacts: Implications for NJ’s Healthcare Workforce

During the pandemic, at least 45 states allowed healthcare providers to work across state lines through temporary licensure reciprocity. Policymakers and researchers are now debating options for longer-term licensure reciprocity through various mechanisms, including the “interstate licensure compact.” Interstate compacts pre-date the pandemic and are designed to allow providers to hold primary licensure in one state and also obtain a multistate license or expedited licenses to practice in other participating compact states.

This forum is an opportunity to discuss the implications of interstate licensure compacts on healthcare workforce supply. The forum begins with a brief, discussion-stimulating presentation on New Jersey’s COVID-19 temporary licensure reciprocity program, which enabled over 50,000 out-of-state practitioners to provide care to New Jersey residents, which gleaned early insights into the impact of licensure reciprocity. This is followed by a moderated panel discussion about short-term and long-term implications of interstate licensure compacts on healthcare workforce supply, with a focus on the impact on physician, nursing, and behavioral health workforces.